Rochester school board delays final budget vote to May 12, demands focused updates on pre-K, special education and social supports

The Rochester City School District Board of Education on April 28 voted to move its final budget vote from May 5 to May 12 and instructed the district administration to provide concise, targeted updates on several priority areas before the next meeting.

"When the numbers came in, we were at about a $49 million gap. And through the work of finding efficiencies ... we were able to bring that gap down to 23 million," President Simmons said as she opened the board's second deliberation on the draft budget. Her remarks framed repeated commissioner concerns about program cuts and proposed program moves across the district.

Commissioners used the session to name the issues they want administration to address before a final vote: planned moves of pre‑K sections and the creation of two new pre‑K centers; the number and placement of social workers and school counselors; the district's home‑hospital instruction model; special education staffing and methodology; community schools and parent centers; nutrition programs; athletics and CTE/CPPS offerings; and the My Brother's Keeper initiative.

"I have a…